Thursday, December 13, 2007

The kids are out of school on December 20th and I'll be looking for fun things to do together before and after Christmas. Here is a list of thirteen fun kid crafts that'll keep everyone busy and happy on into the new year.

1. Make a gum drop wreath. Even a three year old can help with this fun craft--though I imagine ours will get picked over pretty thoroughly before the gum drops even get stale. The tutorial is from Posie Gets Cozy. Here's a variation on the theme: gumdrop trees at Bella Dia.

2. Measure the weather. We're going to set out containers and measure how much snow we get and record the daily temperature--want to make sure the reindeer have Optimal Flying Conditions you know.

3. Play indoor hopscotch. We have laminate flooring and will tape game boards on the flooring when the weather doesn't permit the outside versions. There are all sorts of things you can do with masking tape, see this post for more details.

4. Read some holiday books.The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is at the top of the list but have you ever read The Christmas Dolls by Carol Beach York? An out-of-print classic that I still treasure. I have a ratty, falling-apart paperback copy that I think we'll need to explore while sitting by the fire.

5. Play "Hide the Button." I sometimes forget how younger children will love simple games like this. You can't go wrong when you take 15 minutes to play this.

6. Make a snow fort using super scoopers. Gallon-sized plastic milk jugs make terrific snow scoopers when you cut away half the bottom of the jug. Mix some food coloring and water in a spray bottle to use for "decorating" the snow and you've got an instant hit. Now if only we had some snow. . .

7. Make glittering pinecones. If you water down Elmer's glue you can paint it onto the branches of big pinecones (the kind you can find at craft stores). Once it's been well-painted, sprinkle glitter over it and hang it by its stem.

8. Write thank you cards. The perfect afternoon activity. Stickers, glitter, glue, construction paper--get it out and say thanks for all the presents. I bet Santa doesn't get that many "thank you" cards but it wouldn't be a bad idea.

9. Make pipe cleaner snowflakes. Twist sparkley white pipe cleaners together to make snowflakes and hang them from your windows. If you're feeling really adventurous here's a tutorial to make 3-D paper snowflakes.

10. Shovel a neighbor's driveway. It's fun to make it a game and see if you can get it done "before the giant sees you."

11. Go ice skating. We've got a hockey rink nearby and last year we had a great time skating whenever we had a free afternoon. I have always had a hard time staying warm and ice skates are the worst for cold feet but last year I found these wonderful soft boot skates that are warm and toasty and great for helping you keep your ankles straight. They're on sale and they even come in pink.

12. Make snow molecules. Use toothpicks and tiny marshmallows to make "snow molecules" by sticking the toothpicks into the marshmallows in whatever configuration seems appropriate.

13. Make igloos. Use frosting to glue large marshmallows together like snow blocks to make your very own igloo. Sample at your own risk--that's enough sugar to bring down a nation. Susie J had an alternative to using marshmallows at her post here.

Bonus:14. Attempt this cutie pie dessert. From Sew Darn Cute, my kids would think it was pretty cool to eat a cake that's shaped like a tree and she makes it sound so easy I think I'm going to give it a try.

I wonder if doing some of the snow crafts would wind up with my kids clamoring for a trip up north to go see snow (a 4+ hour trip). On second thought, maybe we'll stick to hide the button and hopscotch.

How about these non-snow-dependent ideas: make a puppet theater out of an old box -- refrigerator or oven if you can get it, or a table-top version (then just cover the table with a cloth to hide the kids sitting at it) out of a moving box. Kids can decorate the theater, then make puppets out of brown lunch bags, then give puppet shows. This could take days...

With teens, maybe a cooking contest? Everyone cooks the main dish for dinner, one night at a time, and the family votes on the best? Or a cooking donation activity? Every kid picks a neighbor, one who's lonely, elderly, a single parent, a new mom, facing a rough patch, etc. and plans and makes a meal to take over. You can have family time perusing cooking websites for recipes, making shopping lists, even delivering food. (You could do this with little kids too, as long as you were willing to be the chef.)

Or there's always reading stories aloud. Too many of us think reading aloud should stop once the kids can read to themselves. Try the _Complete Fairy Tales of George MacDonald_ for elementary school kids (complex and beautiful, funny and unexpected, not "babyish") or some classic science fiction like H.G. Wells for older kids.

We used to ice skate all the time at the rinks in downtown Gunnison. They would flood the soccer fields every winter and turn them into rinks. There was a pond there, too, that would freeze over. You could even see fish frozen solid into the ice. Great stuff.

I also remember one specific night when we skated after dark, and my toes hurt so bad as they thawed back out at home. I have terrible circulation, which is one reason I will never be an arctic explorer.

You never cease to amaze me. These are all great ideas...they certainly will give me some ammunition for the long days of the winter vacation between the last day of school and Christmas Day! Thank you!

Thank you for the comprehensive list of activities. I think any parent could never have to many activities ready on hand for their wild ones. If you are into crafting, come check out my kids crafts blog:

It is SO nice to come here because you seem like SUCH a nice person! I agree with everyone else that you reign supreme in the realm of good ideas and good taste. It's lucky for me that you are so willing to share. :D

I'm noticing that some people in areas without snow (let's just call them snow-challenged folks) could use some ideas that don't depend on cold weather. This summer I posted kid crafts and activities each Wednesday and you can view those by clicking on the "crafts" label link at the bottom of this post or by going to my sidebar where it says "posts by topic" and clicking "crafts" there. Either way will give you all previous posts that have crafts as their label, including those kid-friendly ones I posted this summer.

Also, on the sidebar under "posts by topic" I have an "indexes" label and that's where I index all my various posts. Clicking there will take you to the "tips and crafts index" and you can view the craft posts by title. A little more compact.

These are SUCH great ideas!! I've been looking to get more into crafts with my girls because they both love it, but I totally suck. Well, once I know what I'm doing, I'm good, but I'm lacking in the ideas department!